Humanitarian Aid
This section will provide context for humanitarian aid dealing with natural disasters.
Disasters can be viewed in three phases. The first is the pre-warning disaster preparation phase. It emphasizes preparing for a pending disaster by developing, reviewing and revising disaster plans – however, often communities and nations do not have the luxury of preparing for a sudden disaster experience. The second phase is the disaster event which simply focuses on dealing with challenges as they occur, providing support and resources where needed. This is the phase where many relief agencies are most present, often a reactive period of time. The final phase is the recuperative effort where emphasis is placed on restructuring communities, healing, and hopefully repairing damages. An effective response time from relief agencies, grounded in rapid needs assessments and identification of resources can make the difference between saving thousands of lives or thousands of people perishing (Galambos, 2005).
Galambos describes three categories of survivors.
1. Those who are primary victims and survivors who directly experienced the event.
2. Secondary victims are those that witnessed the event but did not experience any personal loss.
3. These people have been affected indirectly through media contact.
When dealing with a humanitarian crisis each survivor category needs to be considered for an appropriate intervention to ensure specific and diverse needs are met.
This section will provide context for humanitarian aid dealing with natural disasters.
Disasters can be viewed in three phases. The first is the pre-warning disaster preparation phase. It emphasizes preparing for a pending disaster by developing, reviewing and revising disaster plans – however, often communities and nations do not have the luxury of preparing for a sudden disaster experience. The second phase is the disaster event which simply focuses on dealing with challenges as they occur, providing support and resources where needed. This is the phase where many relief agencies are most present, often a reactive period of time. The final phase is the recuperative effort where emphasis is placed on restructuring communities, healing, and hopefully repairing damages. An effective response time from relief agencies, grounded in rapid needs assessments and identification of resources can make the difference between saving thousands of lives or thousands of people perishing (Galambos, 2005).
Galambos describes three categories of survivors.
1. Those who are primary victims and survivors who directly experienced the event.
2. Secondary victims are those that witnessed the event but did not experience any personal loss.
3. These people have been affected indirectly through media contact.
When dealing with a humanitarian crisis each survivor category needs to be considered for an appropriate intervention to ensure specific and diverse needs are met.